We’re both lifelong residents of Carlisle! Karen was born & raised in nearby Plainfield, and my ancestors have been in central Pennsylvania for centuries. My third great grandfather first came to Carlisle in the 1850s for Dickinson College and then his great grandfather relocated here in the 1890s and held various jobs such as Opera House Manager, photographer, Indian Industrial School electrician, and magic act manager. We’re fortunate that my family donated many photographs and artifacts to the Cumberland County Historical Society many years ago, as we can see how the information was of benefit to their efforts to research and document that long ago era.⠀
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We feel very fortunate to have so many family ties to the area, and that has contributed to a great sense of belonging and community. I graduated with many cousins from Carlisle Senior High School and Karen graduated from Trinity High School. We also share a mutual passion for education, and had a great opportunity to co-teach a Master’s level course for Harrisburg University’s Instructional Technology program a few years ago. Karen continues to teach part time as an art teacher at St. Patrick’s School while operating Create-A-Palooza, and I work full time in Information Technology while also serving as an adjunct professor at Harrisburg Area Community College.⠀
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Karen and I started dating in college, but had already known each other due to the friendships between our two local families. We married in 1996 in the Saint Patrick’s Shrine Church on West Pomfret Street. Since then we’ve raised our two children in the Carlisle area, with one that just turned 11 and another who will be 21!
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We feel very fortunate to have so many family ties to the area, and that has contributed to a great sense of belonging and community. I graduated with many cousins from Carlisle Senior High School and Karen graduated from Trinity High School. We also share a mutual passion for education, and had a great opportunity to co-teach a Master’s level course for Harrisburg University’s Instructional Technology program a few years ago. Karen continues to teach part time as an art teacher at St. Patrick’s School while operating Create-A-Palooza, and I work full time in Information Technology while also serving as an adjunct professor at Harrisburg Area Community College.⠀
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Karen and I started dating in college, but had already known each other due to the friendships between our two local families. We married in 1996 in the Saint Patrick’s Shrine Church on West Pomfret Street. Since then we’ve raised our two children in the Carlisle area, with one that just turned 11 and another who will be 21!
In 2014, Karen realized her lifelong dream of opening a fun, educational, and community involved art & activity center in the local area. We named our business “Create-A-Palooza”, meaning “enjoying creativity like there’s no tomorrow”! Our own humble beginnings were in the local Plaza Mall, and it was a great start for us. Our long term plan was always to relocate to the downtown area and to play a more active role in the many vibrant events and activities. We were blessed with plenty of support, advice, and encouragement from the Downtown Carlisle Association, CAEDC, the Chamber of Commerce, Borough officials, other local businesses, and community focused institutions such as Members 1st.⠀
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A two year effort to find the right location led to what had become a somewhat derelict but very historic property at 11 East High Street. We took a chance that the neglect could be overcome and that original 19th century features in the retail area could be preserved and restored. Once we began to renovate, we were fortunate to have support from folks at the Cumberland County Historical Society who toured the building with us and informed us as to what was important to preserve and what approaches might work best. We continue to volunteer for the Society and the programs it also supports, such as Heart & Soul. ⠀
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Community involvement is so important to us. For example, since we opened we’ve established an ongoing fundraiser for the Army Heritage Center Foundation where all proceeds are donated when someone paints a tank or hummer. We do this in memory of Karen’s grandfather, a local resident who passed away in 2013 and had fought in Europe during World War II.⠀
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We have also sponsored fund raisers for the Girl Scouts and town events such as the Carriage Rides during last year’s Christmas Parade. We continue for our part to volunteer on committees in town for events such as the parade and the Ice Art Fest. If there’s something that we can do to benefit the community in a positive way, we are always open to it!
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A two year effort to find the right location led to what had become a somewhat derelict but very historic property at 11 East High Street. We took a chance that the neglect could be overcome and that original 19th century features in the retail area could be preserved and restored. Once we began to renovate, we were fortunate to have support from folks at the Cumberland County Historical Society who toured the building with us and informed us as to what was important to preserve and what approaches might work best. We continue to volunteer for the Society and the programs it also supports, such as Heart & Soul. ⠀
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Community involvement is so important to us. For example, since we opened we’ve established an ongoing fundraiser for the Army Heritage Center Foundation where all proceeds are donated when someone paints a tank or hummer. We do this in memory of Karen’s grandfather, a local resident who passed away in 2013 and had fought in Europe during World War II.⠀
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We have also sponsored fund raisers for the Girl Scouts and town events such as the Carriage Rides during last year’s Christmas Parade. We continue for our part to volunteer on committees in town for events such as the parade and the Ice Art Fest. If there’s something that we can do to benefit the community in a positive way, we are always open to it!
As we have become more active in the community as business owners in recent years, it’s also expanded our awareness of the many talented people and groups who work every day to make the area a better place and to try to guide the community in a positive direction. We’ve found that a key to success in local business is to maintain active engagement in organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, the DCA, the Cumberland Valley Visitor’s Bureau, and the Greater Carlisle Project. It never hurts to attend the occasional Borough meeting as well! ⠀
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Just recently, I came across an old history from the 1830s about our church, St. Patrick’s, that summed up what we feel about the town. In those days the church was very poor, and the priests were itinerant. One was not able to pay his rent in town and the constable was taking him to debtor’s prison. A prominent state official who lived in town named John Bannister Gibson became aware and intervened to pay his debt. It was stated several times in the book that our church thrived in Carlisle in large part due to the generosity and acceptance of others in town who were not themselves members. What better way to describe our community?⠀
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Even with our extensive knowledge of Carlisle from living here our entire lives, we found the experience of starting a new business to be an entirely different ballgame. We learned the hard way at times, or took approaches that turned out to have made things unnecessarily more difficult in the end. While we’re very happy with how things are going at Create-A-Palooza, our advice to anyone considering a new business is to talk early and often with groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the DCA, and Borough officials. For example we’ve found the team in the zoning and codes office to be extremely helpful and supportive.⠀
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It’s always best to do the research before plunging in! Membership in a regional or national industry association can also be a great benefit, as in our case we’re actively “plugged in” to a national network of businesses such as ours. Lastly, the local business community as a whole is very invested in the success of the local community!
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Just recently, I came across an old history from the 1830s about our church, St. Patrick’s, that summed up what we feel about the town. In those days the church was very poor, and the priests were itinerant. One was not able to pay his rent in town and the constable was taking him to debtor’s prison. A prominent state official who lived in town named John Bannister Gibson became aware and intervened to pay his debt. It was stated several times in the book that our church thrived in Carlisle in large part due to the generosity and acceptance of others in town who were not themselves members. What better way to describe our community?⠀
⠀
Even with our extensive knowledge of Carlisle from living here our entire lives, we found the experience of starting a new business to be an entirely different ballgame. We learned the hard way at times, or took approaches that turned out to have made things unnecessarily more difficult in the end. While we’re very happy with how things are going at Create-A-Palooza, our advice to anyone considering a new business is to talk early and often with groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the DCA, and Borough officials. For example we’ve found the team in the zoning and codes office to be extremely helpful and supportive.⠀
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It’s always best to do the research before plunging in! Membership in a regional or national industry association can also be a great benefit, as in our case we’re actively “plugged in” to a national network of businesses such as ours. Lastly, the local business community as a whole is very invested in the success of the local community!
We definitely would like to see the development efforts progress at the “brown field” sites in town, and indications are very positive so far. We’ve had the opportunity to talk with many who are actively involved with attracting new business and to job creation in the local area, and they’re working very hard to achieve those aims.⠀
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The Greater Carlisle Area has so much potential. We’re fortunate to have such great institutions such as Dickinson College and the Army War College, and regional access to additional institutions such as Shippensburg University (Karen’s alma mater!). And we also benefit from committed and dedicated organizations for the wellbeing of the community such as Hope Station and the United Way, as well as the extensive efforts of local churches.⠀
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For our part we focus heavily on local and regional history, either by interpreting it in our building, or through volunteer and outreach efforts, to in some small way inspire a “sense of place” and pride in the local area, regardless of whether someone moved in just recently or lived here their entire lives. The area is a great place to raise a family! – Karen & Jim Griffith, Create A Palooza
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The Greater Carlisle Area has so much potential. We’re fortunate to have such great institutions such as Dickinson College and the Army War College, and regional access to additional institutions such as Shippensburg University (Karen’s alma mater!). And we also benefit from committed and dedicated organizations for the wellbeing of the community such as Hope Station and the United Way, as well as the extensive efforts of local churches.⠀
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For our part we focus heavily on local and regional history, either by interpreting it in our building, or through volunteer and outreach efforts, to in some small way inspire a “sense of place” and pride in the local area, regardless of whether someone moved in just recently or lived here their entire lives. The area is a great place to raise a family! – Karen & Jim Griffith, Create A Palooza
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